From Zevs' Big Oil Splash to Danler's Sweetbitter: Your Culture Guide to August

Go – Mary Heilmann, Whitechapel Gallery. American artist Mary Heilmann’s bright canvases are currently on display at the Whitechapel Gallery. Don’t miss the chance to be inspired by her stunning choice of colour and form. Until 21st August. 

M. Heilmann - Taste of Honey, 2011

See: Yerma at The Young Vic. This superb play based on Lorca’s achingly powerful masterpiece stars Billie Piper. A superb performance by Billie, she plays Yerma, a woman driven to the unthinkable by her desperate desire to have a child, an intense modern-day tragedy. Until 24th September. 

Eat – Padella, London Bridge. There’s nothing we don’t love about freshly made pasta. Head over to Padella by London Bridge for their sensational pasta dishes – we recommend the crab linguine with chili and a glass of bubbly. Divine. 

Read – Sweetbitter: A Novel by Stephanie Danler.  This wonderful coming of age tale takes place in the tantalizing world of New York City, a winding journey through the most exclusive restaurants in Manhattan. 

Sweetbitter: A Novel by Stephanie Danler, 2016

Visit – Zevs: The Big Oil Splash at Lazarides Gallery.  Hockney’s influence isn’t going anywhere soon. This eerie selection of prints addresses some societal issues using Hockney’s a Bigger Splash. A bit like seeing an old favourite but with a new twist. Lazarides Gallery, London, W1T 1HR. 

Zevs' The Big Oil Splash, Exhibition at Lazaride Gallery, 2016

Watch – Watch the Olympics in style at St. Katherine’s Docks.  It may be a million miles away from sunny Rio, but with ice-cold cocktails in abundance and deck chairs we can’t think of anywhere better to be. 

82 Portraits and 1 Still Life: David Hockney

After his monumental exhibition in 2012 of bright exotic landscapes, David Hockney has created a new series of portraits, which will be on display from 2nd July at The Royal Academy.  Each portrait was made over three days in bright acrylic colours, all on identically sized canvases with all subjects sitting in the exact same chair. The exhibition is bursting with sartorial inspiration, from polka-dot silk ties to eccentric accessories; it really is pure colour and texture. The portraits capture some real personality too, from friends, family and acquaintances including fellow artists, office staff, gallerists and curators such as Larry Gagosian and John Baldessari.  

Celia Birtwellmast by David Hockney

David Hockney: 82 Portraits and 1 Still Life, 2nd July 2016 – 2nd October 2016, Royal Academy

From the Spirit of Rio to Alex Katz: Your July Culture Guide

Go: Kew Gardens, The Hive – Beauty and science come together at Kew’s exploration of the British Bee. The Hive is an open-air structure standing at 17 meters high and weighing 40 tonnes. The Hive captures the story of the honeybee and the valuable role of pollination in feeding the planet. Visit to discover the secret life of bees.  

See: Alex Katz until 11th September 2016, The Serpentine Gallery. To top off an already pleasant day in Hyde Park, drop into the Alex Katz exhibition at The Serpentine Gallery. Don’t miss this chance to see paintings by a modern American master. 

Alex Katz at The Serpentine Gallery

Visit: Alex Eagle, Lexington Street. The newly opened Alex Eagle store on Soho’s Lexington Street offers a carefully curated selection of home ware and fashion. Go to see the Luke Edward Hall x Alex Eagle collaboration and the exquisite Le Monde Beryl shoes. 

Eat: The Continental Pantry, W11. The Continental Pantry offers a delightful blend of European cuisine and wine.  Perfect for after work on a Friday, indulge in the hand sliced 42 month aged Iberico ham and an impeccably chilled glass of Rose. 

Read: In the Spirit of Rio, Assouline. Ahead of this summer's Olympics, In the Spirit of Rio outlines a guide to the best hotels, restaurants, shopping, art galleries and attractions.  Bursting with dazzling imagery celebrating this lively city.

Bruno Astuto's In the Spirit of Rio, Assouline 2016

Handpicked Food For Soul: June Culture Guide

Spending your summer 2016 in London? Before heading overseas for true outdoor adventures, follow our handpicked ABC of the month's go-to destinations, hidden gems, flavours and entertainment for the ultimately satisfying culture boost in the city. 

Yayoi Kusama at the Victoria Miro Gallery

Go – With the Summer upon us, Hyde Park will soon become the place to see and be seen. Don’t miss this year’s futuristic Serpentine Pavilion. This year we will see work by Danish architect Bjarke Ingels who has designed the pavilion to resemble an unzipped wall.

See – Yayoi Kusama’s retrospective comes to the Victoria Miro Gallery in North London. Get lost in the surreal sea of pumpkins, polka-dots and magical mirror room. Until July 30th.  

Yayoi Kusama at the Victoria Miro Gallery

Visit – Be sure to swing by The Switch House, the new staggering 10 story building at the Tate Modern. Opens on 17th June. 

Eat – Ostuni.  Our favorite Italian haunt in Queen’s Park launches their sister venue on June 13th in Hampstead Road, the perfect treat after a long walk around the Heath. Don’t leave without trying the slow-cooked octopus. 

Read - Anne Sijmonsbergen’s debut cookbook Eivissa (Ibiza), packed full of inspiring Mediterranean recipes for every season, start on a hot summer evening and recreate the white island delicacies in your own home. 

'The Ibiza Cookbook' by Anne Sijmonsbergen

To Freeze The Time Through Tapestry — Retrieving Memories Through Carpet Landscapes: Alex Keha

How to connect the dots between nature, sustainability and carpet making? By reinventing cherished childhood territories from leftover textiles of her family-owned factory, Argentinian rug artist Alexandra Kehayoglou gives an answer to this seemingly impossible equation. It’s in the Studio Kehayoglou, where the hands work hard and artisanal immaculacy bravely takes shape, stopping the passing of time in ethereal still-life carpet artwork.

Carpet artwork by Alexandra Kehayoglou

Your carpets are pure magic. How does the process of creating one begin? 

Every piece has a story behind it and the whole process that leads to the final result is rather long and complex. [In my approach], the original techniques of tufting are combined with modern technology. I try to link both platforms — the industrial and the manual — to create more experimental artworks. My greenlands, paddocks, shelters and tapestries are made up from retrieved material of the factory owned by my own family. In a way, they contain my own life experience. 

I usually have a previous idea of what I want to achieve [as a final result], but this always changes through the process. I first sketch on the canvas, then apply the tones and create textures inspired by landscapes I’ve seen. The textile is weaved with handtuft system — with a pistol that I manipulate on vertical racks to create the weft that will give shape to the final piece. Each of them is unique, with a certain texture, pattern, volume and unrepeatable palette. 

When did you start connecting and exploring the symbiosis between landscapes and rug making?

I grew up among rugs. Seventy years ago, my Greek family brought the tradition of designing and producing the carpets to Argentina. After many years of research, I decided to transform my family history into an artistic expression. 

Everything started with my diorama boxes in which I tried to freeze a scene. An artificial miniature beach landscape in which the spectator could submerge, but these were at first [merely a] model — they were small and packed in a box. When that tapestry unfolded on the floor, I realised I could create those landscapes, following the same idea of time being frozen, but this time in a human scale. Therefore I decided to keep my cherished territories from childhood safe from the passing of time by recreating my landscapes. 

How is the sustainability element represented in your artwork? What other principles do you consider to be the cornerstone of your art? 

Sustainability is present in each piece of work. I am deeply conscious about nature and that is why I hand-tuft my pieces with 100% natural sheep wool and all the materials are surplus from my family’s factory. The materials are selected carefully and then dyed to achieve the desired colours.

Alexandra Kehayoglou

How long does it take to create one masterpiece rug? What's the most complex project you have undertaken and completed?

Depending on the complexity of the piece, the production time can take from one to several months. I pay a lot of attention to details and I am extremely tedious with each and every stitch. The most complex project I worked on was a custom-made carpet designed by Olafur Eliasson and crafted by Alexandra Kehayoglou’s Studio. It consisted of a 3D carpet, which we had to adapt to a wooden topography to create a reading space in the Art Kunz Library of Berlin. This was truly challenging, because we had to develop a new method for the carpet installation. All in all, it was a great experience; we spent almost three weeks at the Studio. We worked a lot! 

“Each of them is unique, with a certain texture, pattern, volume and unrepeatable palette.”

What makes a particular landscape inspiring enough for one of your rugs? What else inspires you throughout the process?

I guess the contemplation of the landscapes I love is the first step for the development of my work. Also, Argentinian geography has been very inspiring for me because, in a way, my personal history is tightly related to the history of that land. Walks through my parents garden with my son, road trips, sunsets, aerial views, the sea, the beach, my family, my grandmother, are part of this dialogue between nature, tradition and art. 

You also have an inspiring Instagram account. In your view as an artist, is it important to promote yourself more as a 'brand' nowadays? Don't you feel that it has made your work more commercial?

I believe all art is very much about freedom. In a way, Instagram is a great tool for any visual artist, because it allows us to choose what we want to share about our daily work at the studio — it’s sort of a visual diary. During the last few years, artists have found new ways of creating the ‘buzz’ and circulation, it’s not merely about being a part of a gallery anymore. Even though my work is sometimes related to important brands, I really don’t find my work commercial at all. In fact, it is well known that there are new models of art business arising and concurrently with them, new ways of being an artist. 

“Walks through my parents garden with my son, road trips, sunsets, aerial views, the sea, the beach, my family, my grandmother - all are part of this dialogue between nature, tradition and art.”

Alexandra Kehayoglou

Describe the relationship between fashion and your rugs. There was a runway setup project you've done for one of the major fashion brands. Are there any other fashion collaborations you’ve executed?

In 2014, Dries Van Noten contacted my studio through a fashion producer called Villa Eugénie, who had seen my work online. They asked for a rug of 50 meters based on the same nature concepts that I work on. The design of the carpet was a pastizal (grassland/pasture). We travelled to Paris for the installation of the piece. It was a great experience because, even though the process was very intense and it had to be developed in a very limited timeframe, a new way of thinking my work appeared [as a result]. 

How can we be more environmentally aware and shape people's mindsets through what we put out in the world?

I think we should start with small actions. Every day is a chance of making things better. If we finally understand that we are not the centre of the Earth, but just a tiny part of it, as well as the trees, the animals, the rivers and seas and the mountains, our decision-making and behaviour will lead us to living a more environmentally-conscious life. 

“I decided to keep my cherished territories from childhood safe from the passing of time by recreating my landscapes.”

What's your relationship with nature? 

I was raised in a house with a big garden, so my approach to nature is quite sincere and spontaneous. As a child I used to explore the different colours, shadows, smell of the grass, the flowers and plants. Everything was special and new, my point of view was not contaminated by life experience. I remember making up stories for hours, nursing the birds, playing with mud. The feeling that time was frozen in a special moment is something I’ve been trying to transmit with my work as part of that first intuition. 

The process of creating a masterpiece: Artist Alexandra Kehayoglou

In what ways has Argentina played a role in shaping you as an artist?

Argentina offers many kinds of climates, landscapes and cultures. I decided to embrace this diversity because it’s also a part of my own identity. The scenes I create are part of native territories that carry ancestral information and I think that my job as an artist is to transmit their message through the best language I know, art. 

http://www.alexkeha.com

Exhibitionism: Rolling Stones

What’s not to love about the Rolling Stones? Well, nothing really. The first international Rolling Stones exhibition recently opened at London’s Saatchi Gallery. The exhibition takes over nine rooms across two floors in true rock star fashion. You will find an astounding 500 Rolling Stones artifacts from the band’s personal archives, incorporating 50 years of fashion, film, art and sound. 

Go go go.

The Rolling Stones

April 5th 2016 – September 4th 2016

Saatchi Gallery, Kings Road, SW3 4RY

Chelsea, London

Will the Allure of Frida Kahlo Ever Fade Away?

Frida Kahlo: Fashion As the Art of Being
Assouline

“Feet, what do I need them for. If I have wings to fly.”
– Frida Kahlo

If you are seeking some inspiration look no further. The latest Assouline beauty is packed full of bright and beautiful pictures of the one and only Frida Kahlo. The book is a tribute to her amazing style and character, hosting a stunning selection of images mirroring her signature style.  Pour over bright Mexican landscapes and see how her inimitable individuality has influenced so many over the years.  Frida’s free spirit has us planning outfits and adventures in equal measure.  If you’re a fan of art, fashion and a great coffee table book – this needs to be your next investment. 

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Frida Kahlo: Fashion As The Art of Being

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Frida Kahlo: Fashion As The Art of Being

On sale in Assouline stores or Amazon UK.

Meet Miss Martin

Agnes Martin’s subtle pencil lines and light colour washes will be welcomed this summer to London’s Tate Modern. The exhibition will display three decades of Martin’s work, from her early beginnings in New York to her escape from fame in Taos, New Mexico.  Agnes Martin was born in Canada and considered herself an abstract expressionist, like her male peers Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko. 

Agnes Martin. 

Martin once remarked that ‘Without awareness of beauty, innocence and happiness, one cannot make works of art’, which suggests her reasoning for moving away from the competitive New York art scene and to seek creative comfort in New Mexico’s foreign lands. Martin believed in the power of the emotional over the physical and also believed that her most recent work of art was always her best.  Somewhat controversially, Martin wished for all of her early works to be destroyed, a collection of which will be on show to the public this summer.  We must feel privileged to have the opportunity to witness the growth of a successful female artist, in an arena that was monopolized by men. Women artists are gaining more and more attention in the current climate, with Georgia O’Keefe recently setting a new record for the highest female auction price for her White Flower Number One. Expect to be soothed and meditative in front of Martin’s paintings, their striped linen canvases will hold your attention with their ever so slight details.  

"I often paint tranquility. If you stop thinking and rest, then a little happiness comes into your mind. At perfect rest you are comfortable."

– Agnes Martin

Agnes Martin, artist portrait. 

Agnes Martin at The Tate Modern 3rd June – 11th October 2015.